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I just returned from an eight day trip to Prague, my first visit to this city that was transformed from Communist and Soviet domination, to a free and democratic nation. In just a few months (November to be exact), it will be 20 years since the nonviolent Velvet Revolution, when the Czechs finally won back their freedom. The city is revitalized, full of entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, and imagination, even as it navigates a global recession (unemployment in the Czech Republic is 8% as compared to 9.4% here in the US).

One can’t help but be moved with empathy at the tragic events that impacted this beautiful country in the 20th century, especially the annexation, invasion and occupation by Nazi Germany (we can debate the impact of Western appeasement policies at the outset of WWII), to the Russian/Communist occupation. Nazi occupation decimated the Jewish population there. We visited the heartbreaking Pinkus Synagogue and read some of the 80,000 names of murdered Jews that has been beautifully handwritten on the walls.

The Russians liberated Czechloslovakia at the end of the war and within a few years the Communists took over all aspects of the government, industry and economy. We visited the Museum of Communism (located above a McDonalds!) and learned that 250,000 people were political prisoners, over 350 were executed, and 4,500 died in prison during the Communist era.

There were exhibits of store counters, featuring empty shelves that were common due to shortages and mismanagement of the government controlled economy.

It was illegal to leave the country, or even talk about leaving (in fact, according to one exhibit, a person could be arrested for not turning in someone who talked about leaving.) We learned later that 200,000 citizens were members of the secret police (can you imagine living with the psychological impact and stress of this treachery?)

Understanding the country’s repressive past makes it all the more remarkable to see people from every continent in the Old Town Square, like us, taking in the masterpieces of Baroque, Gothic, and Neo-Classical architecture.

When we wandered off of the main tourist areas, and took a train to a country town, the imprint of the Communist era and central planning are still quite evident. Buildings are in shambles, train stations and platforms are in disrepair, and the workmanship is not up to the standards of the revitalized construction we saw in Prague. It will take more time and investment to redeem.

The new democracy of the Czech Republic, as any democracy, is not perfect. On the front page of the Prague Post, there is a story about inappropriate use of expense accounts and funds by Members of Parliament (as has become all to common in the bureaucracies of many European countries; and did you see the report on US Members of Congress spending $500 million on airplanes for their own travel?!)

Yet it is so evident to me, that political and economic freedom has given this city, and country new life (literally, there is a baby boom now), and better opportunities for all.

The Czech Republic’s transition to a market-based economy has been successful. One can see that policies of low taxation and openness to foreign investment have contributed to a strong economy. Last year, a reduced flat personal income tax of 15 percent became effective, and the and the top corporate tax rate was reduced to 21 percent.

As I consider the history and renewal of the Czech Republic, Prague is a vivid reminder of how fortunate we are in the United States; that our economic and political freedoms enhance our people and our country, and that they are worth preserving and fighting for.

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